Wildcat Basketball Remains Unbeaten in District
The #8 state ranked Wildcats’ basketball team stayed unbeaten in district play with a 63-48 win over Texas High Friday night before a large crowd in Wildcats Gym. Wildcats Coach Clark Cipoletta said he expects for the Wildcats to get everyone’s best shot and the Tigers battled throughout the game.
Early in the fourth quarter, Texas High trailed by only six points before the Wildcats made a run to put the game out of reach. The Tigers were aided by their solid offensive rebounding throughout the game. The Wildcats led 19-12 after the first quarter featuring the inside play of Godsgift Ezedinma and Victor Iwuakor. The Wildcats led 30-24 at the half. Bryson Lynn provided a spark off the bench with 3 three-point baskets during the first two quarters. The Wildcats led by 8, 41-33 after three quarters. Keaston Willis and Ezedinma had strong fourth quarters to keep the Wildcats out in front.
Willis and Ezedinma led the Wildcats with 15 points each. Iwuakor added 11 points. Lynn had 9 points. Michael Jefferson had 7 points. Dedric Godbolt, Day Day Hall and Xavier Cork had 2 points each. Texas High got a game high 16 points from post C.J. Kelley. Tigers guard Caleb Wilson hit 5 three-pointers for 15 points.
The Wildcats improved to 3-0 in district play. They are now a 20 win team with a season record of 20-3. After an open date next Tuesday, the Wildcats will have their showdown at Mount Pleasant next Friday.
Game Day: Wildcats host Texas High; Lady Cats at Texas High
Wildcats Basketball Hosts Texas High
The #8 ranked Wildcats’ basketball team should face a good test in district play Friday night (January 5) as Texas High comes to town. The Wildcats are 2-0 in district play and 19-3 for the season. Wildcats Coach Clark Cipoletta said the Tigers are a very good team. He said they defeated Marshall by 25 points. Coach Cipoletta said Texas High is athletic and has the size to match up with the Wildcats. He said they have players that are 6-foot-6 and 6-7. Coach Cipoletta said an emphasis for the Wildcats will be stopping the Tigers dribble penetration by their guards. He said they were not great shooters but he said they can get hot. Coach Cipoletta also said the Tigers like to use the full court press. However he noted that Marshall usually likes to press but he said they did not try to press the Wildcats. Coach Cipoletta said the Wildcats will be ready for the press or no press Friday night. There will be a freshman game at 5 p.m., a JV game at 6:15 p.m. with the varsity game at 7:30 p.m. We will bring you Wildcats’ basketball Friday night on KSST Radio at around 7:30 p.m. We will also videotape the game for replay later on Channel 18 on Suddenlink Cable.
Lady Cats Basketball at Texas High
The #9 ranked Lady Cats’ basketball team has their work cut out for them Friday night (January 5) as they play Texas High on the road. The Lady Tigers defeated the Lady Cats at the Winnsboro Hoopfest, 46-38 back on December 1. In that one the Lady Cats actually led by 5 going into the fourth quarter before Texas High used a 19-6 scoring advantage to win by 8. The Lady Cats are 4-0 in district play and 18-3 for the season. After a win over Marshall Tuesdaynight, Lady Cats Coach Jeff Chapman was well aware what’s coming up for the Lady Cats. After Friday’s Texas High game, the Lady Cats have a bye next Tuesday and then they host Mount Pleasant Friday week. Coach Chapman said the Texas High Coach wants a Dallas referees chapter to do the Lady Cats and Lady Tigers game. He does not want to use the usual district officials from Paris, Commerce or Mount Pleasant chapters. Coach Chapman said the district race is wide open featuring the Lady Cats, Texas High and Mount Pleasant. He said the Lady Cats can’t get the big head from what they have done so far this season or in the past. Coach Chapman said the key is not the will to win but the will to prepare. He said if his team has the will to prepare more than their opponents, they have a good chance to come out on top. Coach Chapman said he is seeing more and more Lady Cats staying after practice to work on their games. The leaders in extra gym time are veterans Kaylee Jefferson, Sadavia Porter and Autumn Tanton. He sensed that they want to be a part of a possible district title three-peat. The Lady Cats have won the district championship the past two years.
Bergin’s Motions Question Jurisdiction, Evidence Obtained, and Texas Health and Safety Code vs Civil Procedure
In three motions filed before the Hopkins County Court at Law by Attorney Chad Cable on behalf of George Lawrence Bergin and his desire to regain custody of hundreds of head of cattle seized by the SPCA of Texas and Hopkins County Sheriff’s Deputies, Bergin through his attorney states that the court denied the defendant’s motion to dismiss on account of the courts complete abrogation of the rules of civil procedure, requests that the court exclude states evidence and announced his non-participation. Judge Amy McCorkle Smith had not ruled on the motions as of noon Friday and the court proceeded with jury selection and the trial immediately following the selection of the jury.
In one motion, Bergin complained by written motion that Hopkins County Court at Law has no jurisdiction over the issues in the controversy. He stated that the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (Sherman Division) has proper jurisdiction of the issues in controversy. He also noted “The State’s purported statutory authority (Health and Safety code Chapter 821) is an aberration wholly inconsistent with all other Texas statutes and rules defining jurisdictional and procedural fairness. He states the County Court at Law has denied all of the Defendant’s pleas for basic protections afforded citizens in every other area of American jurisprudence.
In another motion, Bergin states that the State intends to present evidence which was obtained by search warrants that are devoid of any specificity and were issued without any showing of probable cause.
An additional motion stated the court had denied his motion to dismiss and/or stay the procedure based on jurisdictional grounds. Bergin objects to the proceedings based on “The Texas Health and Safety Code does not trump the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. He states in the motion: “Defendant is about to be put to trial on an issue that imperils hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of livestock, yet has not notice as to which, if any, of the Texas Rules of Civic Procedure are to be recognized.” The motions states that no complaint nor citation affording defendant of the most basic notice and preparation rights. He says there are no established Rules of Court, Civil or Criminal, to be employed by the court. The motion states the discovery rules are completely ignored in a rush to government taking of property with less due process than is afforded traffic ticket defendants, all pursuant to an aberrant statue completely at odds with all other state and federal standards of due process.
Judge Smith will review the motions and rule on them. Until then, the trial proceeds.
texas flag courthouse
New Courtroom, Voting Equipment Priorities on Commissioners’ Court Monday Agenda
Two items on the agenda for Hopkins County Commissioners’ Court Monday, January 8, 2018 have been on the back burner for some time but the court is expected to move forward with both items.
The Commissioners will consider the approval of building a new 100 seat courtroom that will be attached to the Hopkins County Jail. According to County Judge Robert Newsom there will be no increase in taxes to pay for the new addition. He told KSST News that the new courtroom will be built using money the county already has and will be a part of what is often referred to as the new county jail. The court will also approve the employment of a consultant/architect to supervise the building of the new courtroom.
For some time Debbie Shirley, County Clerk, has wanted to improve the voting equipment in the county and the court will consider and approve voting equipment for the clerk’s office.
A review of the Racial Profiling Report will be presented by Constable, Precinct 1, Norman Colyer. Also on the agenda are a number of routine items.
Bergin Does Not Appear; Attorney Files Motion Challenging Authority of Court in the Appeal of Cattle Custody
Although a motion has been filed with Hopkins County Court at Law challenging the authority of the court regarding an appeal of a settlement reached in a pre-court magistrates hearing regarding custody of hundreds of head of cattle, a jury is being picked Friday, January 5, 2018, in the second floor courtroom of the county courthouse and the appeal trial is expected to begin as soon as the jury is picked. The trial is expected to continue through Wednesday of next week.
The motion was presented to the court by Chad Cable, Attorney for George Lawrence Bergin who is seeking the restored custody of his cattle. The cattle were seized by the SPCA of Texas and Hopkins County Deputies in December, 2017. County Court At Law Judge Amy McCorkle read the motion into the record as the jury selection began. The motion states that Bergin does not believe the court has jurisdiction in the case. Burgin did not appear in court for the jury selection and his attorney left as selection of the jury began. KSST News has filed a formal request with the County Clerk’s office for copies of all pre-trial motions presented Friday. As soon as those are presented, the story will be updated with a more complete explanation of the protest against the court.
The appeal of a settlement reached in a pre-court hearing involving the custody of hundreds of cattle was to have begun with jury selection on Wednesday of this week according to information received last week. However, the court reset the schedule for Friday.
The malnourished cattle were seized December 4-6, 2017 by Hopkins County Law Enforcement and the SPCA of Texas. The cattle were found on 2,700 acres of barren pasture land with no hay. George Lawrence Bergin, 61, of Sulphur Springs was charged with Cruelty to Livestock-Fail to Provide, a state jail felony. The cattle appeared to be suffering from malnutrition.
In the settlement made December 13th, Justice of the Peace B. J. Teer signed an order calling for a public auction of the animals. A bond in the amount of $245,000 was set to perfect the case. The settlement and the appeal of the custody of the cattle will not affect the state jail felony criminal charges against Bergin.
See previous stories here, here, and here.
Mom, What Do You Do? By Johanna Hicks
Mom, What Do You Do?
Recently, I had an eye-opening experience. Our family was dining at a local restaurant, and we were discussing school, athletics (our daughter, son and daughter-in-law are all employed with the Sulphur Springs ISD), movies, and work projects. My son commented that he knew that I taught diabetes education, nutrition, and sewing, but said, “Mom, what DO you do? Your job is confusing!”
Hmmm, I thought that if my own family member was confused about my work, others might be, too. Of course, if you have been following my column during the past few weeks, you have gotten a glimpse of what I do, but you, too, might not fully understand what Texas A&M AgriLife Extension is all about. So, for clarification, here are a few facts about our agency, and my position, in particular.
Texas A&M University (originally named the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas) was the state’s first public institution of higher education. The land-grant mission was expanded beyond teaching to research with the approval of the Hatch Act in 1887, providing federal support for the establishment of agricultural experiment stations and resources to solve critical problems confronting agriculture. The department of agriculture and science was designated the School of Agriculture, later to become the College of Agriculture and, in 1989, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Texas A&M’s programs in teaching, research, extension, and service reached people in towns and cities as well as on farms and ranches.
In 1915, the Texas legislature organized the Texas Agricultural Extension Service (now known as Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service), which would bring scientific information from the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (now Texas A&M AgriLife Research) to every farm and community. County Ag/Natural Resources agents, home demonstration agents (now known as Family & Community Health Agents), specialists, and volunteers provided this outreach. Boys’ and girls’ corn clubs and tomato clubs, organized between 1903 and 1914, were the forerunners of the remarkably successful Extension 4-H clubs, which today are expanding to serve an increasingly urban youth population.
Today, Extension’s scope has expanded further than its originators could have imagined. Our mission is no longer isolated to “agriculture and the mechanic arts.” Agriculture and the life sciences have gone global. Every county in the state of Texas has access to resources and staff from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Agents are considered to be faculty because we bring research-based information and education to the communities where we live. In addition, every state in the United States has an Extension Service, supported by a major university in that state.
That still doesn’t answer the question, “Mom, what DO you do?” My responsibilities are multi-dimensional and very difficult to put into a neat, concise paragraph. Every day is different. My title is Extension Family & Community Health Agent. Each Extension agent may focus on his or her own strengths and interests, so program offerings vary from county to county. My particular interests are diabetes education (Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes and Cooking Well with Diabetes), nutrition education for adults and youth (Better Living for Texans, multiple nutrition resources), food safety, wellness (Walk Across Texas and Walk & Talk), marriage education (Twogether in Texas), and Master Wellness Volunteers. I also enjoy leading sewing workshops and implementing the annual Christmas Joys Holiday program, which reached approximately 270 individuals in 2017. In addition, my co-worker and I share responsibilities for our 4-H program, which include camps, projects, contests on county, district, and state levels, exchange trips, County 4-H Council meetings, community service projects, and special 4-H events.
As Extension educators, our volunteer base and networking partners are vitally important. These individuals and agencies help extend our reach and impact. We have three trained groups of volunteers in Hopkins County – Master Wellness Volunteers, Master Gardeners, and Certified Judges for Fairs, Festivals, and Events. We also work with episodic volunteers, 4-H leaders/club managers, and committees. Our programming direction is guided by our Leadership Advisory Board and Program Area Committees, which meet three times annually. Some of our other committees meet more frequently to plan, implement, and evaluate events and programs.
I prepare three newsletters on a regular basis: 4-H Gazette, Better Living for Texans nutrition newsletter, and Volunteer Connection for my Master Wellness Volunteers. We provided weekly newspaper columns and frequent radio interviews. Also, check out my Hopkins County Family & Consumer Sciences Facebook page (be sure to click on the Texas page! Another state has the same Facebook page name.) Dairy Festival Board, Fall Festival Board, Community Chest Board, Community Resources Coordination Group (CRCCG), Community Health/Wellness Alliance, Sulphur Springs and Como-Pickton School Health Advisory Councils (SHAC), and Book Buddies also are part of my work endeavors. Dates for programs and series for 2018 have been set, but I also am available for civic organizations, scouts, churches, or other groups…if I have enough notice!
Our office is located at 1200 W. Houston (next door to the Southwest Dairy Museum) in Sulphur Springs. We are open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday (closed during lunch and major holidays), and you’ll often find us here after hours and on Saturdays! Our district office is located in Dallas, and our state headquarters is located in College Station.
So, I hope I answered any questions you might have about “what I do.” Drop by for a visit sometime!
Closing Thought
Never judge a person until you have walked in their shoes – unknown
Johanna Hicks
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Family & Consumer Sciences
1200-B W. Houston
P.O.Box 518
Sulphur springs, TX 75483
903-885-3443 – phone
903-439-4909 – Fax
[email protected]
Lady Cat Soccer Win First Two Tourney Games; Wildcats Lose First Two
West Mesquite 4, Wildcats Soccer 1
Forney 2, Wildcats Soccer 0
The Wildcats’ soccer team opened regular season play with a pair of losses against tough opponents in a Forney tournament Thursday. The Wildcats lost to West Mesquite, 4-1. The Wranglers led at the half 3-0 and both teams tallied second half goals. The Wildcats then lost to Forney, 2-0. The Wildcats are 0-2 for the season. Friday in the Forney tournament, the Wildcats will play Royse City at 12:30 p.m. and Amarillo Tascosa at 6:30 p.m. The tournament will continue on Saturday.
Lady Cats Soccer 12, Dallas A Plus Academy 0
Lady Cats Soccer 4, Lindale 0
The Lady Cats’ soccer team opened the regular season with two impressive shutout wins in a Terrell tournament Thursday. The Lady Cats scored six goals in each half to overwhelm the Dallas A Plus Academy Lady Knights, 12-0. Later the Lady Cats defeated Lindale, 4-0. The Lady Cats led 3-0 at the half and tacked on one more goal in the second half. The Lady Cats are 2-0 for the season. They will play Athens in the Terrell tournament Friday at 12:45 p.m.The Terrell tournament wraps up Saturday.
Alexander Files for County Clerk
In a news release Reiko Alexander announced that she has filed for the March Democrat Primary as she seeks the position of Hopkins County Clerk.
“My name is Reiko Alexander and I am running for the position of Hopkins County Clerk. I was born and raised in Hopkins County. My parents were the late Cleveland and Wanda Alexander, also Hopkins County residents. I graduated from Sulphur Springs High School in 1994. I am blessed with three wonderful children, Shaquille, China and Iverson. I am very active in my church MLK Church of Christ. I have had the privilege of being a Bible school teacher, financial secretary and assistant youth director for my church. I am very active in the community with school events and service organizations. My children keep me busy with their academics and sporting events. I am currently the manager at a local loan business. I have more than ten plus years of executive experience in management, accounting, finance, purchasing and customer service.
“Between home, work and church, I started a community organization in Sulphur Springs called, “Gems of Color”. I saw a need for an adult volunteer mentoring organization for girls. I developed the “Gems of Color” program and asked successful, positive women role models in our community speak to and help mentor the Hopkins County middle and high school girls of all backgrounds who have joined the program. It has been a great success so far and will continue to produce positive results.
“I believe in giving back to my community through public service. It is why I decided to run for the office of Hopkins County Clerk. I have been blessed to live and work among many wonderful people in Sulphur Springs. I feel that my personal and executive skills will be useful to the citizens of Hopkins County as its County Clerk. I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know many more Hopkins County residents throughout this campaign. I will listen, learn and address any concerns of yours, so that the clerk’s office runs efficiently and responds to the needs of our residents. I would love your support in my campaign and will work HARD to earn your vote!”
Tira News-January 5th, 2018
By Jan Vaughn
Yvonne Weir reported that they had a busy Christmas. They had 10 extra on Saturday night, with Dustin and Destri and their families, and then the Dacy and her family came on Sunday and they all snacked and opened gifts. The kids had a good time running around playing together. Sarah and Lucas came on Christmas Day. Yvonne adds, “We met Dustin and Eleanor and Lukkas Kuffner, as well as Dacy, Elise, and Eli at Shenaniganz in Greenville on New Year’s
Day. Laser tag and bowling and video games were a big hit.”
Sherry Smiddy reports, “On December 16, 2017, Cross Spur Cowboy Church of Sulphur Springs Youth Team donated 90 hand tied blankets to the Scottish Rites Hospital of Dallas. Paige Baber and Conner Ragsdale of Winnsboro have been teaching the kids 8 and up for the past 3 years. They wanted to do a service project with the children this year.”
Chip and I took our daughter, Tiffany, and grandchildren, Kenden and Jaidyn, to Piney Shores Resort on Lake Conroe on Wednesday, December 27 th , which was Kenden’s 16 th birthday. We celebrated with dinner at Red Lobster. The weather was too cold for many outside activities, but we enjoyed swimming in the warm indoor pool and playing games in the lodge. We went to the Woodlands Ice Rink on Thursday evening and Chip, Tiffany, Kenden, and Jaidyn enjoyed
ice skating. On Friday, Chip and I drove to pick up our great-granddaughter, Dixie, at her home near Beaumont, and then returned to the resort. Dixie enjoyed swimming with us. On Saturday Dixie, Kenden, and Jaidyn slept late, while Chip, Tiffany, and I played games and started packing up to leave. The temperature was a little warmer, so we played mini-golf before checking out. After a late lunch, we headed back to Tira and dropped Dixie off to spend a few days with Landon, Laiken, Rylan, Brailon, and Slaiden.
Chip and I enjoyed celebrating on New Year’s Eve, with friends at the home of James and Vickie Longino. Others there included Eddie and Karen Northcutt, Greg and Karon Adams, Brad and Jeanine Fain, and Mike and Susan Smith. We enjoyed soup, snacks, and desserts, and then playing games.
On the evening of New Year’s Day, Landon, Laiken, Rylan, Brailon, Slaiden and Dixie enjoyed a meal of black-eyed peas, cabbage, and sausage, and a family game night. Landon and Dixie were sick on New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Day Tiffany and Jaidyn joined Chip and me for black-eyed peas and cabbage, and then came back for a snack supper and game night that evening.
I hope everyone is enjoying a good start to the New Year!
I always need and appreciate input from my friends to help keep me informed of news in our community. If you have any news pertaining to Tira residents, past or present, please contact me, Jan Vaughn, at 903-945- 2190 or 903-438- 6688 or [email protected].
